Mon 23 Nov 6.30pm

Duke of York’s Picturehouse

DIRECTOR: Lynn Shelton. STARRING: Mark Duplass. Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Lynn Shelton, Trina Willard. USA 2009. 94 mins.

Stumbling out of the ‘bromance’ humour of Judd Apatow into the more subtle and dry plains of mumblecore, HUMPDAY is the intelligent, very funny new feature written and directed by Lynn Shelton. Ben (Mark Duplass) has settled into a safe suburban life in Seattle with his wife when his old college friend Andrew (Joshua Leonard) shows up on his doorstep and rapidly leads him back into the high-fiving, one upmanship existence they once shared. Andrew takes him to a ‘Dionysian’ party where they hear about an amateur porn film festival. After racking their brains for the most radical, arty idea, they plan to film themselves having sex with one another, believing that as a reflection of their hetero sense of selves, it would be beyond gay. In the cold reality of the next day, they awkwardly face the challenge of upholding their revolutionary plan and the implications that it may pose for their friendship. Winner of the Special Jury Prize this year at Sundance, HUMPDAY is a wise, witty and empathetic film that explores the nature of life’s expectations and relationships.

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